King’s delivers its first ever Endometriosis surgery Hot Week ahead of International Women’s Day

09 March 2026 - From Monday 2 – Sunday 8 March 2026 King's teams focused on patients with complex endometriosis

King’s has completed its first ever surgical ‘Hot Week,’ operating daily on patients with complex endometriosis.

On the final day of the week, which fell on International Women’s Day (Sunday 8 March) 2026, several teams of gynaecology surgeons and anaesthetists at King’s volunteered their time to help run several parallel surgical theatres simultaneously, which included one theatre of robotic endometriosis cases. Advantages of robotic surgery for endometriosis at King’s include reduced complication rates and blood loss, and a faster recovery for patients.

Endometriosis affects around one in 10 women living in the UK, occurring when cells similar to those in the lining of the womb grow elsewhere in the body. The Endometriosis specialist team at King’s College Hospital aimed to complete five times their usual number of cases duting the week, focusing on patients living with complex disease.

Sharon Davidesko, Complex Gynaecology Fellow at King’s College Hospital, took part in the surgical ‘Hot Week,’ treating women with endometrioses with both traditional and innovative robotic surgery techniques. She said: “Endometriosis can have a huge impact on women’s lives, not only causing severe pelvic pain, but also leading to fatigue, difficulty getting pregnant and mental health problems which impact all areas of their life. Unfortunately, these are also the patients that wait the longest to be treated. During our Hot Week, specialists focused on these complex cases, providing patients who have been longest on our waiting lists with treatment as quickly as possible.

“This wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of doctors, nurses, our research team, and admin staff. The theme of International Women’s Day 2026 is ‘Give to Gain,’ and we have been amazed by the number of staff who willing gave up their own time on Sunday to help tackle our waiting lists. This is an example of the incredible results that can be achieved for our patients when we work as a team.”